1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to tools including cutting shears having two pivotally connected blades which are each connected to respective handle portions arranged such that in the closing direction of the blades, the handles extend forward of a line passing through the pivot axis of the shears and genrally perpendicular to the direction of cutting.
2. Background of Art
In the art of manual cutting tools such as shears, scissors and other cutters, a great variety of designs have been developed for various purposes, including shears designed to cut relatively heavy fabric and shears for cutting thick sheet material such as sheet metal, linoleum and other relatively stiff materials. Although several relatively complex mechanisms have been developed to improve the mechanical advantage of shears and scissors, the classic design has prevailed which is characterized by a pair of blades pivotally secured to each other by a pivot pin wherein the blade shank and handle portion extend in a direction opposite to the blades themselves.
Several longstanding problems are associated with the use of conventional shears and scissors, particularly in relation to the cutting of relatively large pieces of heavy material such as fabrics, metal sheet, linoleum, carpeting, and similar materials. The configuration of conventional shears and similar scissor type cutting tools does not take advantage of the forces normally exerted on the shears in moving the blades in the direction of cutting. Moreover, the arrangement of the handle portions of conventional shears and scissors causes interference between the hand of the user and the separated pieces of cut material that extend along each side of the shears as they progress through the material being cut. The operating problems associated with the configuration of prior art cutting shears and related tools have persisted until the discovery of the invention described herein.